There is More to Be Done to Move Wisconsin’s Workforce Forward

[Madison, Wis.] – In case you missed it, with more people working than ever before, Governor Scott Walker announced a nearly $7 million campaign to attract and retain workers to add to Wisconsin’s vibrant workforce. Under Governor Walker’s bold reforms, Wisconsin’s unemployment rate has neared record lows while the workforce participation rate has reached record highs — but there is more to be done to keep moving the state forward.

Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker wants to launch a nearly $7 million national marketing campaign to persuade millennials and military veterans to move to his state to help with a worker shortage.

Walker on Wednesday called on the Legislature to approve funding for the $6.8 million ad campaign before the end of the current session in early 2018. He said the marketing campaign would pitch Wisconsin as a more affordable place for millennials to live where they could be spending more time in a canoe, having a drink with friends or attending a concert, rather than sitting in traffic. …

Walker said it was “critically important” to “get more bodies” in Wisconsin. The effort would include $3.5 million in ads targeting military veterans and their families and $3 million marketing Wisconsin as a destination for young professionals, particularly those already living in nearby Midwest cities of Detroit, Minneapolis and Chicago, Walker said. …

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate was 3.4 percent in October, down from a high of 9.2 percent in January 2010 as the state felt the impact of the Great Recession. Wisconsin’s low unemployment, couple with an aging population, has exacerbated the problem of finding enough workers for available jobs. The state is projected to need 45,000 workers in seven years with shortages cutting across industries, including manufacturing, nursing, information technology and services. …

“This should be a nonpartisan issue,” Walker said. “Building our workforce should be something easy for Republicans and Democrats alike.” …